Introduction To Business Textbook

[Maria]

Whilethis textbook was written in 2018, it was last updated in 2023. The content presented seems up-to-date, providing students with real-world examples that are relevant to their coursework. I think there will always be room for updates, especially around management and including information from the past few years of the pandemic.

Each chapter in the text follows the same basic outline. There is an introduction that sets the stage for the major concept(s) that will be discussed in the chapter. Additionally, each chapter opens with learning outcomes listed.

The general concepts of business don't change very much over time. The case studies and examples are constantly changing. There is always the next big thing as well. The textbook does a good job of keeping the information basic and evergreen. I ask the students to provide more up to date examples and talk about the latest trends.

The text is up-to-date, with highly relevant materials. The text provides students with several features to help with the understanding of course materials. There are several features, and one of them is, Ethics in Practice, which is especially relevant in an introduction to business course. There is another section on Expanding Around the Globe, which helps students understand our global economy, and the reliance we have on one another around the world. There are several other features that add richness to the course. These examples should be updated on a regular basis to remain current.

The clarity of the text is clear, concise, and well suited for early college use. Students will learn new terminology throughout each chapter, with definitions and a glossary at the end of each chapter.

There were no interface issues. Navigating from one page to another, or from one chapter to the glossary was done with ease. The photos used were clear and relevant; however, I feel there could have been more photos used.

The text gives professors information, tips, case studies, in-text videos, ethics activities, and other experiential activities needed for an interesting, informative and lively course. The materials were enough to keep my 3-hour class fully engaged with various activities that tied into the concepts for each chapter. The students enjoyed using the text because of the easy-to-read layout, the easy online navigation, and most of all students appreciated the fact that the text was free.

Students were given detailed instructions on how to download the text. Professors were given Guided Lecture Notes; Instructor Manual; Test Bank; Video Guide; and Power Points for each chapter.

If I had to change one thing, it would be the content of the Power Points. Most of the power points had Concept Check discussion questions. I would have liked to see more information about the concepts covered, along with illustrations. The authors did state that their power points was a starting point for instructors to build their lectures.

Overall, I successfully used this text in the past, and plan on using it again next semester.

The challenge with any books, especially business books with the need and importance to include relevant and real-life examples and case studies. Unfortunately, all of those stories are short-lived and perishable until the next big story makes them obsolete and stall.

Basic use of business language, vocabulary and terminology is used throughout and builds upon each, reinforces importance for future business classes as to be expected from an Intro to Business book for first year and second year students with little to no business background.

It does not appear that the book is set-up using a modular approach or using sections to breakdown the 17 chapters in 4-5 broad sections or modules. Consider using a common modular format that include Business Basics, Marketing, Operations and Finance.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It should make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Great question, this is always going to be a sensitive concern. As with most books there will always be shortcoming is providing meaningful cultural relevance.

This text provides an excellent overview of business with a comprehensive index. The book clearly outlines resources and further readings for continued study of a particular topic. The text did not expand on franchising as a business design but...read more

This text provides an excellent overview of business with a comprehensive index. The book clearly outlines resources and further readings for continued study of a particular topic. The text did not expand on franchising as a business design but covered others well and provided the pros and cons effectively.

The book provides relevant examples and content relating to the overall business world. More content related to virtual business activities could be included. The arrangement of the text would allow for easy updating and additional content in these areas to be added. One of the best elements of this text was the

The book used effective language that was appropriate for higher education learners. The terminology was well described and there were activities within each chapter as a resource for students to further work with the language. This book provided an introduction to business law which was much more comprehensive than the current text I use.

The segments that existed within each chapter were consistent. There could have been more chapters that included career opportunities in the particular content area component to help students explore potential avenues for work. The terminology was consistent throughout the text and was easily referenced for students to go back and review earlier definitions and contextual utilizations.

The modules were well organized and made sense. The headings were appropriately placed and color was used to indicated additional readings, activities, or reflective materials. The sub-units could easily be rearranged, if necessary for presentation by the instructor. The text provided comprehensive content without being arduous and overwhelming.

The organization was well thought out and aligned with the design of an introduction to business course well. There was little need to skip around during the semester which can cause students confusion.

The graphs and navigation were easily used and free of errors. There were clear explanations of the images and charts that expanded on the content being presented. Navigating this text was very user-friendly and straightforward.

The cultural relevance of the imagery in the text lacked diversity. The photos represented many women but very few people of color. The examples throughout the text showed examples of successful individuals as white males.

There was a section in each chapter that discussed cases and problems that provided great topic starters for a class session. These could be expanded for more comprehensive assignment work but were great for low-stakes assignments and ice breakers.

Many recent business stories are used as examples in teaching fundamental concepts. This really increases the relevancy and integrity of the text. The authors do not shy away from trendy subjects, products or people. For example, a lot of references to Elon Musk, China, Google, etc.

Each chapter has a glossary of key terms and a summary of learning outcomes. A few of the end-of-chapter activities could be more explicit. The associated instructor materials also lack detail in this area.

Hard to get more modular than seventeen chapters and an appendix! I moved chapter 14 behind chapters 15 and 16, but this was not a "no-brainer" adjustment. The chapter lengths were long-enough to be comprehensive without being too long.

The text and associated instructor materials are of very high quality appearance. The images, and videos are excellent. As with most texts, a few hyperlinks no longer work, but that is a teachable moment for students as well!

Did not notice any offensive or insensitive content, but this topic could be an area of additional content or an appendix given recent cultural events in the U.S. and abroad. The "cancel culture" impact is real, and businesses and their employees need to learn about potential ramifications of their words and actions.

Really liked this book, as well as the instructor materials that suggested appropriate video links. I would like to see more end-of-chapter activities with more in-depth assessment prompts. There are plenty of open-ended, critical thinking prompts, but more structured activities would be welcome too.

This textbook appropriately touches upon all areas of business necessary in giving students a broad overview of how businesses operate. I appreciate that it goes one level beyond the business core of human resources, marketing, financial...read more

This textbook appropriately touches upon all areas of business necessary in giving students a broad overview of how businesses operate. I appreciate that it goes one level beyond the business core of human resources, marketing, financial accounting, and management by covering topics such as business ownership and pricing strategies.

Some of these business concepts are hefty and more in-depth than one would expect for an introductory book, but they are covered in great detail and at length so that students can process the information by looking at graphs, charts, and examples in addition to just reading the definition of concepts.

Though there are a wide range of topics covered, each chapter is broken down into sub-topics to help students locate material as well as learn the concepts in a thorough manner. My only suggestion would be to offer the financial and accounting chapters earlier in the text book because they are topics often seen as intimidating to students, and students may have anxiety over covering those topics near the end of the book. However, instructors can choose to have students learn the topics in any order, and even omit sections not deemed as vital as others.

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